听美国故事练听力 23

　　Now, the VOA Special English program American Stories. Our story iscalled The Animals Give Themselves from the book Cloudwalker by JoelMonture, published by Fulcrum¹ Publishing. Mr. Monture is a NativeAmerican from the Mohawk nation. He has written stories about youngNative Americans who grow up in American cities and do not always knowa lot about their Indian traditions. Here is Faith Lapidus with thestory.
"Elizabeth..." Betty Tylen turned to her best friend Debby. "I hate itwhen my mother calls me Elizabeth. It always means² I have to do somework." Betty made her music louder and two girls laughed. Betty andDebby are twelve years old and live in Fairbanks, Alaska. Together,they share schoolwork and movies and talk a lot. Betty is Koyucan, anAlaskan native nation. And Debby's ancestors³ came from England.
Missis Tylen came to Betty's room. "We are going home to our villagefor a potlatch." she told her daughter. "What is a potlatch?" askedDebby. "It is a big ceremony and meal." said Betty. "People cook foodand give away blankets. It is really silly." "Do I have to go?" sheasked her mother. "Yes, it is our responsibility⁴." said her mother.
"We are flying out tomorrow morning."The next morning, Betty was flying in a small plane beside her mother.
"I really hate this." she said. "Why couldn't I stay with Debby?" Butwhen the plane landed, Betty was beginning to think the potlatch mightbe fun. She would see her uncle Vincent and aunt Molly, and visit withher cousins". But most important was that her father would be at thepotlatch. He was often away from home for months working with thetribe on environmental⁵ issues⁶.
Uncle Vincent met them at the airport. He had a thick way of talkingand a missing⁷ tooth in a corner of his smile. Uncle Vincent was ahunter in the village. "How you folks⁸ been doing there, Fairbanks?" heasked as he drove⁹ his truck down a snowy road. They drove for almostan hour. Betty thought everything just looked frozen¹⁰. But to hermother, it was the place where she had grown up. She showed Betty thebirds and other animals along the road.
Suddenly, uncle Vincent stopped the truck and looked into the bushes¹¹.
Missis Tylen watched too. But Betty could see nothing. Then, Betty sawa large moose whose breath¹² made steam in the winter air. Uncle Vincentquickly reached for his gun and stepped out of his truck. Betty lookedat her mother. "He is not going to shoot the moose, is he?"Before her mother could answer, there was a loud sound from the gun.
Then, silence. Missis Tylen got out of the truck and stood besideVincent. Betty watched them talk softly¹³. Then, her mother said, "Comeon, Betty. We have a moose." Betty said softly to her mother, "This isso horrible¹⁴! I hate it! Why can't we just go?" But Missis Tylen puther finger to her lips¹⁵ as a sign to be quiet. A short way into thewoods, they came upon the moose lying on her side in the snow.
Betty watched as uncle Vincent touched different parts of the deadmoose praying quietly and offering¹⁶ thanks for the use of the animal.
Then, he stood up and said, "Betty, run up to the truck and bring backthe knives under the seat. Betty walked to the snow feeling unsure. Apotlatch was supposed to be fun. Now, here they were, in the middle ofthe forest was a dead moose. "Ahem..." she found the knives in thetruck and returned to where her mother and uncle were waiting. "Thisis so horrible." she said under her breath.
Uncle Vincent and Missis Tylen both took off their coats. It wasfreezing, but her mother did not seem cold. She took one of the knivesfrom Betty. "Mom?" asked Betty. "What? You do not know that I know howto cut the skin off a moose? I used to help my brothers all the time.
My mother and I took care of the skins and we smoked them to makecoverings for our feet and hands. When you were born, I used to giveyou a moose bone to chew¹⁷ on to help your baby teeth grow." She saidwith a laugh. "No way!" Betty protested¹⁸.
As they worked late into the afternoon, Betty thought it was sostrange to see her mother working on the moose. Betty was used toseeing her mother working in an office wearing dresses and nice shoes,but not in the middle of the snow taking the skin off a moose. Whatelse didn't she know about her mother? When they were ready to leave,Betty saw that the woods did not seem quiet anymore. Black birdscalled ravens¹⁹ were circling high in the sky and cold wind was blowing.
As they drove along the snowy road, Betty thought to herself: Thisland was difficult. But her mother was a part of it because she knewthings. As they drove into the small village, Betty saw that therewere no big stores. This was the place her mother had been raised. AndBetty suddenly felt as though she did not know very much.
Uncle Vincent stopped by a small house at the far end of the village.
There were so many people inside. Betty did not remember any of them,but they seemed to know her. Betty was only a baby when she left. Andher relatives rubbed her cheeks in welcome. She smiled as they puttheir arms around her. Then, out of the crowd came her father, DavidTylen. He picked her up and cried, "Betty Wolf!" "Dad! Do not call methat!" she said. But she was still smiling. She put her arms aroundhim.
"We killed a moose for potlatch." Betty did not know where her wordscame from. But she sensed the importance of this group of familymembers. "You got a moose?" asked Betty's father. He smelt²⁰ her andadded with a laugh, "You smell like a moose. Hey! You!"That night, Betty slept on blankets on the floor. She was so tiredfrom working in the woods with the moose. She dreamed that the moosetalked to her and said, "I give myself to you, so your people can eatand live." When she woke up, she thought her dream was real. Bettyfound her mother having a cup of coffee. "Mom, I had a dream." shesaid, "The moose was there and she told me her death was like a giftto us. I do not understand."Betty's mother held the warm cup of coffee in her hands and explained.
"No matter how far we travel from home, when we return, this is stillour land, the place we come from. This is a place of people, ravens,moose and so many other beings. The bird does not take more than itneeds, and people do not either. This is the balance of our world.
Your moose visited you to let you know that it was all right. She gaveup herself to feed your family because we honored²¹ her. And from that,you are learning²² to be honorable²³. You watch here how all this meatwill be shared. Everyone will be fed from your moose. That is life.'
Just then, Betty's father joined them. Her mother looked up andsmiled. "Betty dreamed about the moose." "Oh, I see." said Betty'sfather. "Would you feel better if I told you aunt Aster²⁴ makes softshoes? She will make you a pair from your moose." Betty smiled,"Really?" Her father said, "Maybe we should all talk more about ourtraditions, so we do not forget them." "You are always gone." saidBetty. "Well, that could change." said her Dad, "I am moving back toFairbanks." Her mother jumped up and put her arms around him. "That iswonderful, David."The next day, Betty enjoyed the potlatch ceremony. All the peoplecooked big parts of meat and fried²⁵ bread. Older members of the villagestood up to speak about the unity²⁶ of the people. They offered prayersto the spirits and everyone ate. "I never ate so much in my life."Betty said to her mother. "My moose was very good."When Betty flew back to Fairbanks, she looked down at the land. Hermother's village looked like little dots on the snowy earth. Backhome, Betty was happy to see her friend Debby. "Look what I broughtyou. A pair of soft shoes! My aunt made them." Debby said, "I wish Icould go to a potlatch." Betty said, "Maybe next year, I will ask mymother if you can come. But if we shoot a moose, you have to help!"You have heard the Native American story The Animals Give Themselvesfrom the book Cloudwalker. It was written by Joel Monture and adaptedinto Special English by Carrion²⁷ Legged. Your storyteller was FaithLapidus. The producer was Lawan Davis. Listen again next week at thistime for another American story in VOA Special English. I'm BobDoughty.

1 fulcrum   

n.杠杆支点

参考例句：

• Give me a fulcrum on which to rest,and I will move the earth.给我一个支承的支点，我就会搬动地球。
• The decision is the strategic fulcrum of the budget.这一决定是预算案的战略支点。

2 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

3 ancestors   

n.祖先( ancestor的名词复数 )；祖宗；原型；（动物的）原种

参考例句：

• His ancestors had come to America from Ireland. 他的祖先从爱尔兰来到美国。
• The custom of worshipping ancestors is prevalent among these people. 崇拜祖先的风俗在这些人中是普遍的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 responsibility   

n.责任，职责

参考例句：

• The safety of the ship is the captain's responsibility.确保船的安全是船长的责任。
• The matter is outside my area of the responsibility.此事超出我的责任范围。

5 environmental   

adj.环境的

参考例句：

• A global environmental meeting is going to be held here.一个全球环境会议将在这里举行。
• We need to cure our environmental problems.我们需要解决环境问题。

6 issues   

（水等的）流出( issue的名词复数 )； 出口； 放出； （特别重要或大众关注的）问题

参考例句：

• Let's start with the more easily addressable issues. 我们先从较容易处理的问题着手。
• Employment and taxation are the bread-and-butter issues of politics. 就业和征税是很重要的政治问题。

7 missing   

adj.遗失的，缺少的，失踪的

参考例句：

• Check the tools and see if anything is missing.检点一下工具，看有无丢失。
• All the others are here;he's the only one missing.别人都来了，就短他一个。

8 folks   

n.人们；父母；亲人；家属；人们( folk的名词复数 )；亲属；大伙儿；民间音乐

参考例句：

• Ask yourself what the folks in Peoria will think of it. 想一想皮奥里亚的人会如何看待这件事。
• When good folks meet, evil men keep their distance. 好人相逢，恶人远离。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 drove   

vbl.驾驶，drive的过去式；n.畜群

参考例句：

• He drove at a speed of sixty miles per hour.他以每小时60英里的速度开车。
• They drove foreign goods out of the market.他们把外国货驱逐出市场。

10 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

11 bushes   

n.灌木（丛）( bush的名词复数 )；[机械学]（金属）衬套；[电学]（绝缘）套管；类似灌木的东西（尤指浓密的毛发或皮毛）

参考例句：

• There was someone skulking behind the bushes. 有人藏在灌木后面。
• The boy chased his sister in and out among the bushes. 那个男孩在灌木丛里跟着他姐姐追过来追过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 breath   

n.呼吸，气息，微风，迹象，精神，一种说话的声音

参考例句：

• I'm just going out for a breath of fresh air.我正要出去呼吸新鲜空气。
• While climbing up the stairs the old man always loses his breath.那老人上楼时总是气喘吁吁的。

13 softly   

adv.柔和地，静静地，温柔地

参考例句：

• He speaks too softly for her to hear.他讲话声音太轻，她听不见。
• She breathed her advice softly.她低声劝告。

14 horrible   

adj.可怕的，极可憎的，极可厌的

参考例句：

• This is a horrible monster.这是一个可怕的怪物。
• That is a horrible accident.那是一次可怕的事故。

15 lips   

abbr.logical inferences per second 每秒的逻辑推论n.嘴唇( lip的名词复数 )；（容器或凹陷地方的）边缘；粗鲁无礼的话

参考例句：

• Her lips compressed into a thin line. 她的双唇抿成了一道缝。
• the fullness of her lips 她丰满的双唇

16 offering   

n.提供，奉献物，牲礼

参考例句：

• What is your competition offering?你的竞争者提出的条件是什么？
• The police are offering a big reward for information about the robbery.警方出大笔赏金要求提供那起抢劫案的破案线索。

17 chew   

vt.咀嚼，嚼碎；vi.咀嚼，细想；n.咀嚼，咀嚼物

参考例句：

• This candy is so hard that no one can chew it.这种糖太硬，没人嚼得动。
• You should chew over this thing.你应当好好思量这件事。

18 protested   

v.声明( protest的过去式和过去分词 )；坚决地表示；申辩

参考例句：

• He protested he was being cheated of his rightful share. 他提出抗议说他被人骗取了他依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Amy protested she was being cheated of her rightful share. 艾米提出抗议，说有人骗取了她依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 ravens   

n.低质煤；渡鸦( raven的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Wheresoever the carcase is,there will the ravens be gathered together. 哪里有死尸，哪里就有乌鸦麇集。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A couple of ravens croaked above our boat. 两只乌鸦在我们小船的上空嘎嘎叫着。 来自辞典例句

20 smelt   

v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼

参考例句：

• Tin is a comparatively easy metal to smelt.锡是比较容易熔化的金属。
• Darby was looking for a way to improve iron when he hit upon the idea of smelting it with coke instead of charcoal.达比一直在寻找改善铁质的方法，他猛然想到可以不用木炭熔炼，而改用焦炭。

21 honored   

adj.光荣的：荣幸的v.尊敬，给以荣誉( honor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I hope to be honored with further orders. 如蒙惠顾，不胜荣幸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is a time-honored custom. 这是一个古老的习俗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

23 honorable   

adj.光荣的，荣誉的；可敬的，高尚的

参考例句：

• I don't think I am worthy of such an honorable title.这样的光荣称号，我可担当不起。
• These businessmen are both competitive and honorable.这些商人既有竞争性又很诚实。

24 aster   

n.紫菀属植物

参考例句：

• This white aster is magnificent.这棵白色的紫苑是壮丽的。
• Every aster in my hand goes home loaded with a thought.我手中捧着朵朵翠菊，随我归乡带着一片情思。

25 fried   

adj.油煎的；油炒的

参考例句：

• I ate everything fried.所有油炸的我都吃。
• I prefer fried peanuts.我选择炸花生。

26 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

27 carrion   

n.腐肉

参考例句：

• A crow of bloodthirsty ants is attracted by the carrion.一群嗜血的蚂蚁被腐肉所吸引。
• Vultures usually feed on carrion or roadkill.兀鹫通常以腐肉和公路上的死伤动物为食。